also ta·bu
noun
pl. ta·boos, also
ta·bus - A ban or inhibition resulting from social custom or emotional aversion.
a. A prohibition, especially in Polynesia and other South Pacific islands, excluding something from use, approach, or mention because of its sacred and inviolable nature.
b. An object, word, or act protected by such a prohibition.
adjective
Excluded or forbidden from use, approach, or mention: a taboo subject.
transitive verb
ta·booed, ta·boo·ing, ta·boos, also
ta·bued ta·bu·ing ta·bus To exclude from use, approach, or mention; place under taboo.
Origin of taboo
Tongan
tabu under prohibition from Proto-Polynesian
tapu Word History: The word
taboo first appears in English in the journals of Captain James Cook, the British explorer who led three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and greatly broadened European knowledge about the peoples living on the Pacific islands. In 1777, Cook wrote that the word
“taboo … has a very comprehensive meaning; but, in general, signifies that a thing is forbidden&ellipsis4; When any thing is forbidden to be eat, or made use of, they say, that it is taboo.
” Cook was in Tonga at the time, and so it is the Tongan form
tabu that is the source of the English word
taboo . However, words related to Tongan
tabu are found in other Polynesian languages, such as Maori
tapu and Hawaiian
kapu. (In the history of Hawaiian, the original Polynesian
t -sound has regularly changed to a
k -sound.) Other words Cook brought back from his journeys include
tattoo (also of Polynesian origin) and
kangaroo (from Guugu Yimidhirr, a language of Australia).
Noun (plural taboos)
- An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
- (in Polynesia) Something which may not be used, approached or mentioned because it is sacred.
Adjective (comparative more taboo, superlative most taboo)
- Excluded or forbidden from use, approach or mention.
- Incest is a taboo subject in most soap operas.
- Culturally forbidden.
Verb (third-person singular simple present taboos, present participle tabooing, simple past and past participle tabooed)
- To mark as taboo.
- To ban.
- To avoid.
Origin Tongan tapu (“prohibited"). The word entered English around 1777. Ultimately from Proto-Polynesian *tapu.
